Heat overpowers Pistons for 25th straight victory

LeBron James scored 29 points, Dwyane Wade added 19, and the Heat extended its winning streak to 25 games by pulling away in the second half and beating the Detroit Pistons 103-89 on Friday night.

Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers scored 11 apiece for Miami, which shook off yet another slow start to move within eight of tying the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest winning streak in NBA history. The Heat also won at home for the 16th straight time.

James added eight rebounds and eight assists for Miami, whose magic number for clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is now three.

Greg Monroe finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds for Detroit, which dropped its 10th straight game. Jose Calderon had 18 points and seven assists, most of that coming in the first half for the Pistons, who also got 18 points and eight rebounds from Kyle Singler.

The Heat dug their way out of a 17-point hole — and a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter alone — to win in Boston on Monday, and a 27-point, third-quarter deficit to prevail in Cleveland on Wednesday.

No real dramatics were needed this time: Detroit led by 11 in the second quarter, but the second half was pretty much all Miami. The Heat outscored Detroit 52-35 after halftime.

"It doesn't matter who we're playing. This time of year, it's going to be a dangerous team," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It's going to be a team absolutely urgent, desperate for a playoff position or a team with nothing to lose, no pressure. Either way, you have to impose your will."

That did not happen, at least not in the early going.

For the fifth time in the last six games, the Heat trailed after the first quarter. Detroit made 12 of its first 18 shots — 67 percent — and took a 28-20 lead fueled by an 8-0 run late in the opening period.

Thomas Robinson scored 15 points and Greg Smith grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds off the bench for the Rockets. Shaun Livingston scored 14 points for the Cavaliers, who've dropped five in a row and nine of their last 11 games.

Cleveland shot 36 percent (31 of 86) for the game and were badly outrebounded.

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